Israeli military forces are set to demolish homes in two refugee camps in the northern West Bank, which is under Israeli occupation, according to Abdallah Kamil, the governor of Tulkarem, and documents reviewed by the Associated Press.
Kamil announced on Facebook that the military was preparing to demolish 116 homes in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, both of which have been key targets of Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli army has stated that the demolitions are part of efforts to make changes to the camps “to improve movement for soldiers” and curb militancy in the region.
The army has also sought to minimize the number of demolitions and urged residents to contact authorities to retrieve their personal belongings before the demolitions occur.
According to military orders shared with the Associated Press by a UN official, the homes are set to be demolished within 24 hours. This news prompted the evacuated residents of the Nur Shams and Tulkarem camps to return to salvage their belongings before the homes are destroyed.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that Israeli forces had been arresting and firing warning shots at Palestinians during this period.
The ongoing Israeli operation in the West Bank has been displacing thousands of Palestinians. In recent months, the operation has forced out approximately 40,000 Palestinians, particularly in the northern camps of Tulkarem and Nur Shams, which housed descendants of Palestinians displaced during previous wars.
The operation represents the largest displacement in the West Bank since Israel’s occupation of the territory in 1967 during the Six-Day War.
Israel has declared that its forces will remain in some of these camps for up to a year.
The West Bank, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, was captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War. Palestinians seek to have these territories as part of a future Palestinian state. Over 500,000 Israeli settlers, living in settlements considered illegal by much of the international community, now occupy these areas.
